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ESPN targets a narrow and devoted market of young, affluent, male sports fans. They don't even list women in the demographics page of their media kit. In keeping with the rules of transparent marketing, they focus on delivering to the preferences of their core market, but have also developed a passionate following from a broader base.
1 UNDERSTAND YOUR CUSTOMER COMMUNITY INTIMATELY
Remember that bigger is better. In size, paper stock and attitude, ESPN: The Magazine resembles Spin and Vibe, which have become editorial bibles for attracting a target audience of Gen X men. Also important:
Eye candy. The louder and hipper graphic layout of ESPN: The Magazine is a huge departure from the designs of competitive publications, and it reflects a keen understanding of their younger audience.
Large, vivid photographs. ESPN concluded that the best play action is shown on TV, in replays and slow-motion. You just can't beat what is shot live by minicams on a goalie's skates. Instead, ESPN: The Magazine developed an innovative photographic style that includes vivid portraits and multiple-page photo spreads to make the still shots as inspiring as the ESPN television offerings. Readers like the photographs so much they use the spreads as posters.
Extreme sports coverage. ESPN was the first major multimedia sports brand to give significant print and airtime coverage to extreme sports like surfing El Niño, snowboarding, BMX racing and wakeboarding.
2 BUILD CUSTOMER FEEDBACK INTO YOUR PROCESS
Talk shows with back talk such as ESPN's are one the strongest vehicles for maintaining an ongoing dialogue with fans. The daily radio shows encourage live phone calls from listeners and have developed a group of regular contributors who keep the show's phone number on speed dial. ESPN radio fans are eager to share their opinions and viewpoints in the same witty, brash and straightforward style of their favorite talk show hosts. E-mail is also used to weave listeners opinions into the live shows. For example, popular talk show host Jim Rome regularly taunts and invites the "clones" to respond to his opinions. This witty group of listeners e-mail taunting comments in real-time that Rome gleefully reads on his show.
3 FOCUS ON YOUR PRODUCT'S CONTEXT
ESPN is aware of its information-hungry sports enthusiasts. Knowing its members are passionate about their specific sports personalities and teams, ESPN offers both great coverage and a relatively cheap online service to check up on articles from around the country. The magazine also provides the countless stats, charts and graphs that are essential to hardcore sports fans. They are also aware of:
Year-round interest. For many fans the best part of ESPN: The Magazine may be that, regardless of the sport season, they'll have reports in every major sports category. Getting up-to-date news on baseball in December and on college football during July sets this magazine far apart from other leading sports publications.
Connections to fellow fans. The multimedia capabilities of ESPN mean that their on-air personalities for all sports can both contribute articles and participate in online chat sessions, giving fans a chance to interact with them and with each other. From fantasy-football software online to printable fill-in roosters for forecasting college basketball's "March Madness," ESPN equips fans with the resources and services needed to fuel the competitive fire in their local sports communities.
4 UNDERSTAND AND DEFINE YOUR BRAND
The ESPN SportsCenter has produced a variety of distinct brand personalities to whom ESPN fans respond with celebrity-obsessed devotion. Their on-air personalities, as mentioned above, get further personalized connection time with fans by contributing articles and participating in chat sessions. They also keep in mind such things as:Humor. The ESPN SportsCenter is renowned for its style and humor. (The show even inspired the popular but short-lived 1999–2000 ABC sitcom, Sports Night.) For many fans, ESPN is more enjoyable because it doesn't always present the information in a serious manner and isn't afraid to have fun at the expense of the athletes, the fans and, most importantly, the sportscasters and on-air personalities themselves.
Insider's code. The ESPN SportsCenter has coined a quirky and fun sports language all its own that serves as an insider code to its devoted audience. Comments like "Boo-yah!"; "Fade. Fire. Fill."; "Dunk you very much" and "Get down with your bad self" unite sports fans everywhere.
Insider scoop. ESPN doesn't just ask the same old questions like, "Scottie, what was it like being traded from Chicago to Houston?" Their interviewers go deeper with questions like, "Scottie, have you ever just wanted to let Charles Barkley have it?" Or, "Aren't you tired of playing with Michael Jordan?" The audience gets the answers to questions they've always wanted to ask the sports figures themselves.
The "brand language" of ESPN: The Magazine includes short bursts of text and a fast-paced storytelling style (perfect for the attention span of their core readership). Their use of fun and hip titles for typical magazine departments, like "Zoom," "The Sports Guy," "Outtakes" and "0:01 (with the beloved Dick Vitale)" also significantly resonate with their reader demographic.
5 BE AUTHENTIC
Bold, irreverent and sometimes shocking, ESPN-brand sports coverage gives fans everywhere an honest and inside look into their favorite athletes and teams. Their no-holdsbarred style conveys the feeling of an honest, authentic, appealing and savvy sports empire.
ESPN is a useful case study for marketers because it vividly demonstrates a core principle of transparent marketing: If you know your customers intimately, you can use their core values, preferences and even quirks to both reflect back their personalities and define your brands.
In addition, we have found it easier for many people to understand transparent marketing from the male perspective, because it clears away from the discussion all the politics and diversity issues. Seeing how a company focused on a single gender without drawing from tired stereotypes helps lift the pink fog that can surround this marketing concept. | 
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